In the field of network computing, network connectivity between devices, compute nodes, blades, or frames of a scaleable compute resource may be implemented using a network communication device. Network communication devices, such as switches, routers, hubs, bridges, etc. represent a primary communication path for sharing data between different types of compute resources generically referred to as “nodes” of a network. The shared data may represent inputs to compute processes (e.g., data or applications), outputs of compute resources (e.g., compute results), communications to coordinate distributed processes, communications between users, and other types of data. In any “intelligent” network communication device there may be a processor, local memory, configuration information, and “current state” information, among other types of information. Collectively, the different types of information on a network device may be considered to represent the overall “device state” at a given point in time. For example, information on a network communication device (including its “device state”) is expected to change over time, in part, because while in-service and providing active communication paths for a network, the overall configuration and available devices on that network may change.
In general, a switch may be thought of as a device in a computer network that connects together other devices (generically referred to as “nodes” of the network). Multiple data cables may be plugged into a switch to enable communication between different networked devices. Switches manage the flow of data across a network by transmitting a received network packet only to the one or more devices for which the packet is intended. Each networked device connected to a switch can be identified by its network address, allowing the switch to direct the flow of traffic, possibly in an effort to maximize the security and efficiency of the network. A switch is more intelligent than a hub (e.g., Ethernet hub), which simply retransmits packets out of every port of the hub except the port on which the packet was received. In most cases, a hub is unable to distinguish different recipients, and therefore may have an overall lower network efficiency, but simpler configuration information, than a switch/router. Generally, a router is a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks. Routers perform the traffic directing functions on the Internet. A data packet is typically forwarded from one router to another router through the networks that constitute an internetwork until it reaches its destination node.
Switches, hubs, Routers, etc. are examples of network communication devices that may benefit from the concepts of this disclosure. Other examples of network communication devices that may also benefit include, but are not limited to: wireless access points, remote access servers, bridges, brouters, etc. Also, some network communication devices do not fit into a single classification and may be hybrids of two classes of devices (e.g., a brouter is a bridge-router hybrid). In general, this disclosure represents an improvement to the art of network computing by providing enhanced diagnostic information that may be used to improve performance, security, and reliability of a network (e.g., a corporate infrastructure network).